Noah's Descendants
by LaFoiAveugle
Summary: Sam visits his ex-girlfriend during a wedding in her home town in order to save her life. Too bad she remembers him as Dean Forester.
1. Chapter 1

Sam Winchester lurched forward, the alarm clock between the two rickety, old, moldy beds startling him from his sleep. Sam had been dreaming of his life before hunting, even before dating Jessica and Stanford. It was the first time in a long time that he had thought about Stars Hollow, much less dreamed about it.

The dream hadn't been anything in particular, no specific town people had even drifted into the dream. It was just him, wandering around an empty town. It still looked the same, with a crisp, fall breeze in the air. He had sat in the town square on the gazebo for awhile then wander around Dose's market, The blaring clock had startled him out of a blissful calm and restful sleep.

He moaned and rubbed his face, refusing to look at the aforementioned clock. He knew what it would tell him — he hadn't slept enough the night before, despite the peaceful dream. His brother Dean and he had checked into the roach motel roughly three hours ago, after a run-of-the-mill ghost issue in Gary, Indiana. It still bothered him how simple a ghost haunting could be these days, but after the angel-demon fight involving Anna's grace, he knew both he and Dean could use a bit of normalcy and boring. Or well, as normal and boring as a Hunter's life could get. Add to the equation that Bobby was still in the Caribbean, having hit another case while down there (or so he and Ellen said) and the brothers had decided to get out of the Midwest, briefly. In fact, the bed Sam was waking up in was just on the east side of Philadelphia.

He ran his fingers through his hair, a reminder that he needed to trim it soon, and leaned over to hit the off switch. Dean was still dead asleep, laying on his stomach with his mouth hanging open and one arm under his pillow. Sam knew what his fingers were near, if Dean hadn't fallen asleep with a tight grip around the handle of the demon blade. He hated seeing his brother sleeping so tensely, vaguely thinking of how both deserved a week of uninterrupted sleep at the least, as he searched for a shoe to throw at Dean. "Dean," he croaked, leaning over and throwing the shoe at him. "Wake up. If you are going to set an alarm, at least get up with it."

Dean grunted and swatted at the air. "Fuck off," he muttered, turning his head away from Sam. "No alarm." His breathing evened out as he fell back to sleep instantly.

"Dean," Sam said louder. "You set the alarm without telling me. What on earth can you have planned this early?"

"Shut up, Sam! I didn't set any damn alarm. Can't you let me sleep?" Dean propped himself up on his arms and glared at Sam, then flopped back on the bed looking away from him. Both boys heard the faint rustling of wings behind them. Sam turned to see a man in a trench coat standing in the bathroom doorway.

"I set the alarm," Castiel stated, as if the guys shouldn't be shocked. "Is this not how people normally wake up? I thought it would be better than using the television and radio to get your attention. You yelled last time I broke the motel's windows?" He looked at both of them as if this was the obvious solution to waking them up. He then pulled out a bag from behind his back. Sam could read the donut logo from his bed. It was hard to be mad at Cass sometimes.

"Cass, couldn't you just wait a few hours, let us get up like normal people?" Dean said sitting up, yawning through his sleep deprivation. He rubbed his chin, feeling the beard starting to come in. "Screw shaving," he had said to Sam a few days ago. He was going to embrace the hipster craze and wear a beard for awhile. "You might not have to sleep, but we humans need at least five….six….nine hours of sleep a -"

"This isn't a social call, Dean. We have found a seal that Lilith is going after, and the angels need your help with this one." That sobered both of the brothers up, and they both sat up more alert. Sam leaned over the edge of the bed and grabbed his laptop out of his bag, while Dean reached for his socks and shoes. "They are going after the direct descendants of Noah."

"…As in, the ark?" Dean asked, socks paused half on. "As in two by two, animals on the boat or better hope you can swim? He — the flood — real?"

"Yes, in a sense. It wasn't a global flood as it is written, but instead a flood to wipe out a specific area. The humans in this area…it was getting bad," Castiel looked at the guys. "God gave these humans infinite second chances, but they would not change. But Noah was a good man, with a good family. He was the land's last chance."

"So God threatens to flood Noah's city; he builds an ark to save the animals or people or whatever… survives, and pops out a few kids somewhere along the line? And there are people who can be directly traced back to his blood line still walking the earth?" Sam asked, trying to figure out how they were going to do any research to find these descendants. "What do they plan to do with these people?"

"Kill them of course," Castiel replied, stating what he clearly thought was obvious. "Two of them. At specific coordinates, on a specific date. The anniversary date of the flood, actually. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham's direct family died out centuries ago, in Egypt. Fortunate, to say the least, or you would have three innocents being killed at the same time. Shem's and Japheth's lines are traced down to two families. Both of which are American, strangely."

"But I don't understand. Noah existed thousands of years ago, which means those bloodlines have existed and spread out infinitely. So how do the angels know who the direct descendants are?" Sam questioned.

"The same way we know you are both descendants of Cain alone, meaning you have no lineage ties to Noah. Noah was of Seth's lineage. I can draw the lineage map out for you if you wish," Castiel said earnestly, "though we do not really have time for those charts. They would take days to put together. After we stop Lilith. For now, you have to trust that I know which two souls needing to be saved. There's a, record I guess, of direct descendants of important people. All angels know them. And these two humans are direct descendants of just one of each son. Their bloodlines do not overlap."

"Okay, for the sake of argument, let's say we believe and understand you, and that we are completely," Dean shook his head a bit, "IGNORING the comment about Cain for now because how do you process that one." He held up a hand to stop Cass from attempting to continue. "How do we even find these so called descendants?"

"I know where they are, of course. This isn't a search and rescue mission, Dean. Just a rescue mission." Cass sat on Dean's bed, facing the brothers. He put the donuts down in front of Dean, who pulled out a bear claw immediately.

"Are these descendants in the same location?" Sam asked, knowing it was never that simple. And even if it was, the angel wouldn't be standing in front of them, asking for their help.

"No, Sam," Castiel shook his head, "One is located in California and one is located in Connecticut. Apparently they usually are both in California normally, and this would not be a problem if the female one had not traveled back to Connecticut this weekend.

See, both descendants have to be on opposite sides of the country for the seal to be effective. Actually they have to be at these precise coordinates at the precise anniversary time of the flood. By today's calendar and time acknowledgement, that's in three days at six in the evening."

Castiel wrote down two sets of coordinates on a sheet of paper Sam had passed to him and pushed it back to him. He typed them into Google maps, pulling up the first location. "It pulls up a Buy More in, uh, Burbank, California. It's a thirty-nine hour drive from here, over 2700 miles. There is no way we can make it there in three days and be able to actually find the person first, convincing them to stay away from this Buy More at this specific time. And then get back to Connecticut to stop the other descendant as well."

"No, but Jo and May are out that way, at least last time I talked to Jo they were in California. And Ellen and Bobby are going to join them when they got back into the states. Surely the four of them can handle securing one guy. I'll give Jo and May a call and clue them in, and have them call Ellen and Bobby to change their flight. But first — what exactly is a 'Buy More?'"

"It's an electronics store— a California knockoff of Best Buy from the looks of it." Sam turned the computer screen around to show Dean the company's website. "A pretty successful knockoff too."

"Awesome. I'll ask May to pick me up some new speakers for Baby," Dean smiled a boyish smile and winked at Sam, who in turn glared disapprovingly at him over the screen, then looked down to type the second location in. Dean smiled at Castiel, realized he wasn't going to get any support there either, so he let out an awkward cough and turned to Sam. "Where's the second location then?" he asked as he bit into a second donut. His brother ignored him, and Dean watched the blood drain from his face. "Sam? Sammy?" He waved his hand in Sam's face. "Dude, where'd you go?" He snapped.

Sam blinked and closed his mouth, focusing on the noise his brother was making. His stomach clinched and he felt the room spinning. He looked at the coordinates on the page Cass handed to him, back to the computer screen. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He hadn't mistyped the numbers, and yet the one place he couldn't go back to, the one place he dreamed of when he wasn't having nightmares, was staring right back at him. In fact, Google's earth view displayed almost mockingly the gazebo he had sat in so many times. Stars Hollow. This was going to get complicated.

"SAMMY!" Dean slammed his palm on the table, causing Sam to jump.

"Sorry, I just…" Sam trailed off, shaking his head. "The second location is at a gazebo in the center of a small town in Connecticut. A town called 'Stars Hallow.' It's about forty-five minutes outside of Hartford. Not too far of a drive from here. Little over three hours?"

"All right then," Dean confirmed, looking at Sam strangely. "Not sure what just happened there, but now we've got locations. Do we have names or anything else to go on? I want to give Em and Jo as many details as possible." Dean turned to Cass again, raising an eyebrow and pursing his lips.

"Yes. The man in California goes by the name 'Bryce Larkin.' The woman in Connecticut is a 'Lorelai Gilmore.'"

Sam paled again at the name. He felt as if everything in his body had been replaced with lead. "Victoria or Leigh?" he whispered, looking at the table. Not that is truly mattered. And he thought about what Cass had said — she had recently returned to Connecticut. Cass and Dean looked at him, both with confused looks. He met their eyes before asking again, a little louder, " Lorelai Leigh or Lorelai Victoria?"

"Leigh," Castiel responded, puzzled. "Though I guess Lorelai Victoria Gilmore would work as well, if Lorelai Leigh was killed before hand. Bryce Larkin is different; his family is all gone. If he dies before hand, no one can take his place."

"Okay, one, we aren't killing this Larkin dude beforehand. No smiting him out of existence. He stays safe, alive, and away from this Buy More place, got it, Cass?" He stared at Cass, who sat silently for a moment.

"Dean. We will have to do what we can to keep the seal from being broken. But I promise not to smite anyone until the last possible moment." Castiel said. "I have to go now. Call me if you need me." And with that, Cass was gone.

"Okay, now, Sam, start talking. What the hell is going on? Is this part of your psychic, demon telepathy thing?" Dean looked at Sam with a mixture of concern, irritation, and fear. Sam hated the look and the guilt it made him feel. As much as he did not want to talk about Rory Gilmore and his time away from the "family business," he hated that Dean could think it had anything to do with Azazel. He wasn't evil. Sam repeated this mantra over and over to himself on a constant basis. He sighed and subconsciously ran his hand through his hair, pulling it away from his face.

"Dean, I think it's time we actually talk about when I left you and Dad when I was sixteen. Yes, I left for a normal education and a chance at going to college. But I didn't just find that. I found a bit of a normal life. A small town life. It all started with one call to Bobby for help, and a few days later, I was living in Stars Hallow."


	2. Chapter 2

"May, your phone! It's an unknown number," Jo yelled through the slightly opened bathroom door. She waved the phone through the door then slid into the bathroom, picking up her toothbrush.

Maysen stuck her head out of the shower, blinking in confusion at her. "It's seven in the morning. Who could be calling me this early?" Jo shrugged at May, holding the phone out. She had already started brushing her teeth. "Nah, just let it go to voicemail." She waved at the sink, gesturing to Jo to put the phone there. She stepped back into the shower, letting the warm water run over her. It had been a few days since she and Jo had stayed in a motel with decent water pressure, so they splurged and stayed at a place called Toppers Motel. The motel wasn't the best, but it was better than the roach motels they had grown used to. It felt nice, not having to worry about how long she could stand in the shower before the hot water ran out, as well as not having to twist the shower head a few times to get the water flow more than a trickle. She heard Jo spit and turn on the sink, then shut the bathroom door again. It was almost time to go get breakfast, so May finished showering and washing her hair.

As she reached for her towel, she heard Jo calling for her through the bathroom door again. She climbed out of the tub, wrapping the towel around her body, and reached to open the door fully. "Whaaaaat?" she asked, exaggeratedly, grinning at Jo. The two had been traveling together steadily for over a year now, hunting primarily on the West Coast, though occasionally venturing into the Mid-west. They had known each other, kind of, through the years as both of their dads had been hunters and died on the job. Maysen had stayed with Bobby and his daughter Sarah on occasion, and Ellen would drop by with Jo as well. Especially if Bobby had the boys too - sometimes he and Ellen were responsible for an entire houseful. But these moments were rare, and prior to eighteen months ago, she hadn't seen Jo in nearly twenty years.

She was a few years older than Jo, and was starting to feel the big sisterly vibe towards her. Not that May could offer her any advice, and, Maysen thought, not that she WOULD offer any advice either, but she felt protective of her partner in crime. They had become best friends in the least, watching each other's back while on a case and trusting the other to keep them alive. Not for the first time, she was glad Sam had recommended they hunt together.

She shook her head, feeling her red wet curls slap her face. Jo was holding out her own phone for May to see. "The same number is calling me now. Maybe a hunter's got a new cell number?"

May shrugged. "It can't be a coincidence. Answer it while I get dressed?" She grabbed her clothes off the bed and slipped back into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly opened.

"Hello?" She heard Jo answer, her voice questioning but confident. "Oh, hey, Dean. Did you get a new cell number?" Jo was silent for a moment and then laughed. "Jesus, I'm glad you don't buy expensive phones." May chuckled to herself, assuming Dean had broken his cell phone yet again. Her heart sped up a little as she heard Jo respond, "Oh yeah, she's here. Let me see if she's dressed yet." She shook her head as she pulled on her jeans. She didn't deny her lingering feelings for Dean, but she, like everyone else, had buried Dean when his contract ran out. Everything had been thrown into a whirlwind of crazy since Lilith started breaking seals, and the two hadn't even tried to see each other much less discuss emotions in the past few months. They had an unspoken bond of staying in separate states, more than a day's drive apart it seemed. But, he had tried to call her first, so that had to mean something.

She zipped up her jeans and stuck out her head out of the bathroom. "I'm good – what's up?" Jo put the phone on speaker phone, sat it on the table, and started putting on her shoes while May towel dried her hair.

"We have a bit of a situation and need your help. It's a drop whatever case you are on emergency," Dean started in instantly.

May rolled her eyes. Winchester boys — it was always an emergency. "Hello, Dean. We are doing fine yes. No, no of course you didn't wake us up!" she replied sarcastically. "We just finished a case a few nights ago and haven't picked up a new one yet. Still enjoying southern California." She threw the towel back onto the sink and reached for the coffee pot Jo had turned on before her shower. She mouthed "thank you" to Jo as she poured a cup.

"Where are you guys in California again?" Dean asked, ignoring May's response.

May looked at Jo and shrugged. Jo picked up the binder from the night stand that contained all the city information. "Taft, California."

"Any idea how far away that is from Burbank?"

May pulled out her phone and typed it into her GPS as Jo grabbed her phone and came to peer over her shoulder. "Uh - just under two hours. Not terribly far. Did you find a case in Burbank or something? It must be good if it's so urgent," Jo told Dean into the phone, unable to mask her excitement.

"Awesome. That's great. We've got a bit of a situation involving a seal and we're going to need your help." Dean proceeded to explain the situation to Jo and Maysen. The girls sat down on one of the beds as Jo pulled out a notebook, taking notes as Dean talked. They let him give as many details as he could, explaining Noah and the descendants. (He left out the information about Cain's descendants — he didn't see the relevance, nor did he want to think about it.)

May noticed how he couldn't contain his anger as he talked about someone named Rory Gilmore that was to be in Stars Hallow, CT this weekend. She looked at Jo quizzically to see if she understood, and Jo shrugged, then mouthed "well…" as she looked like she was trying to remember something vaguely familiar. But she shook her head a moment later, not able to remember whatever the reason why it was familiar. She wrote down the information anyways, even though Dean said that he and Sam were going to handle that descendant.

"Anyways. Cass said the second descendant is in California and that'll he'll be a Best Buy— no sorry, a Buy More— in Burbank. His name is Bruce —Bryce, yeah Sam— Bryce Larkin? Right Larkin. Who the hell is named Bryce these days?—Sam is working on finding a picture of the guy, but having some trouble. Apparently he doesn't have any kind of social media accounts or something. Sam found a few articles about a Bryce in some Stanford articles back from 2001-2002. We're working on a picture. I'll have Sam send you what we've got soon."

"Thanks, Dean. Have Sam send whatever he finds to my phone— sounds like we're driving down to Burbank," Jo said. May usually did all the driving. Jo had a tendency to have ideas in the car, and it was kind of hard for her to dictate them while driving. Sometimes she just couldn't articulate the right words. Plus, May enjoyed driving. It was calming. She watched as Jo added some more notes to her journal, jotting down topics to look up, questions to be answered. She looked so lost in thought already; May picked up the phone and took it off speaker.

"Dean." She walked outside and leaned against the wall of the motel.

"May, hi." His tone was a little softer. She heard him shifting around, hopefully moving away from Sam from a moment of privacy.

"I just, um, wanted to check up on you. I talked to Sam a few days ago, but it's been awhile, Dean." She played with the hem of her shirt, knowing how ridiculously awkward and teenager-ish she sounded. Sam had told her how difficult that it had been for Dean recently, how little he was sleeping and how exhausted he looked. But she couldn't tell Dean that. He'd be furious at both of them for just being concerned.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. Swell, even. Was kind of looking forward to spending a few days in Philly. Maybe…maybe we could take a trip out here one day." May smiled at that comment, but she knew it would probably never happen. Dean and she both had a job to do, and that was always priority one.

"Yeah, maybe one day. Once we have saved the world from this current mess. We'll take a month off together or something. Make Jo and Sam do the hunting while we vacation." He chuckled at her idea without any humor. "Anyways, just wanted to say hi. We'll call you when we make it to Burbank."

"Yeah. Talk soon. Oh, and if you see anything nice for Baby while you're at this Buy More place, let me know," he responded. May laughed and rolled her eyes, then flipped the phone shut. Jo preferred her burner phones to be older models, mostly because she enjoyed slamming them shut when she was angry. She shoved Jo's phone in her pocket and headed back into the motel room.

"Jo, you packed up? We should probably hit the road. Scope out this Buy More, maybe see if we can find any more information on this guy." May grabbed her coffee cup and drained it.

"Sounds good. How's Dean doing?" Jo kept her tone steady, but May instinctively checked out her face. She knew Jo had a crush on Dean at one point in life, but she swore that it was old news. Dating hunters was useless in her eyes, she had claimed, and it was easier to just keep sex casual. Besides, according to her, why would Jo want to deal with the heartache of a relationship like May and Dean's, or another unknown loss like Rick?

Still, May worried that Jo was hiding feelings, and chose not to discuss her odd relationship with Jo. Not that she had much to discuss. But like always, Jo looked back at May with no hint of jealousy.

"He's Dean, you know. Doesn't sound like he's sleeping, But still cracking bad jokes, so alive. Hey, what was up with his tone about Stars Hollow?"

"Right? I'm not sure what's up there. The town's name sounds familiar, but I I know I've never been. It's nagging at me. I'll ask Mom tonight. Should we have her and Bobby join up with us for this?" Jo stopped packing up her bag and looked at May. May was piling up her hair on the top of her head.

"I think we've got it for now. Let them have a night in or something. We'll let them know what's going on of course, but," she shrugged, "let them have a little bit of a normal relationship." Jo smiled at that. Ellen and Bobby had gotten together about six months ago, ending in an impromptu elopement, and they both had found it adorable.

"Okay," Jo said, throwing her bag over her shoulder, then grabbing May's, as May grabbed their bathroom stuff. "Since we're up so damn early, let's find some breakfast on the way out of town."

"We won't have to stay in a motel in Stars Hollow," Sam sighed, shutting the computer and looking at Dean as he hung up on Jo and May. "There's a guy – sort of an ex, retired hunter — who lives there. He can find us a cheap room. Trust me — we want to keep as low of a profile as possible in this town. Which will be nearly impossible for me."  
He held up a finger as he pulled out a cell phone to stop Dean's anger. "Let me make the call first, then I'll explain what I can."

"Fine," Dean retorted, taking a swig of beer. His eyes watched his brother with a dangerous look in them.  
Sam rolled his eyes and looked through his contacts, selecting "Luke's Diner." He hit call, praying the owner would pick up and not another employee, or worse, Lorelai Gilmore.  
"Luke's Diner," said a gruff, familiar voice. Sam cracked a small smile at the familiarity of it, but couldn't quite seem to form any words. "Hello?" the voice asked again, a little louder and gruffer.  
"Luke," Same finally pushed out," hey. It's, uh, Sam Winchester. I mean," he glanced at his brother before continuing in an awkward quiet tone," Dean Forrester."

Several states away, the diner owner's eyes grew to the size of small saucers as his grip on the phone tightened. "De-" he started and caught himself as he glanced at his fiancée. "Sam. Winchester. I take it this isn't a social call?" He tried to keep his tone light as he turned towards his supply closet to get away from the noisy diner. He covered the mouth piece and whispered "fishing buddy" to Lorelai before walking away.

"Yeah. This isn't a social call," Sam replied. "We've gotten wind of a case out your way. We're the closest hun-"  
"Dean, you can't come now," Luke interrupted, trying to keep his voice down. "There haven't been any strange murders, no ghosts, nothing of that nature. And," he said taking a deep breath, "my wedding's this weekend. To Lorelai. Which means Rory will be here." Luke heard Sam shifting at Rory's name through the phone.

"How much has Bobby kept you in the loop about the apocalypse?"

"Enough to know you and your brother are responsible," he replied hotly, "but also that you're working to stop it."

"Look, there are these seals. I don't have time to explain, but one of the seals has been traced to these coordinates, coordinates that happen to be under the town gazebo. And there are some people that might be in trouble, but we'll keep them safe too. We just need a place to stay and hide out from everyone."

Luke could feel his blood pressure rising. This was not the time for this, for a good deed he helped do years ago to pop up. But he also knew Dean… Sam….wouldn't be coming back to Stars Hollow if it wasn't necessary.

"You can stay in my place over the diner," he finally said. "I'm living with Lorelai, so it'll be free. And most of our guest are staying at the Dragonfly this weekend. But Dean…Sam, you won't be able to hide in this town, you know that. So you better come up with a good story, and quick. And it's not involving my wedding. Got it?"

Sam nodded, running his hands through his hair, turning back towards Dean. "Got it. We'll be heading up that way this evening. Should be hitting Stars Hollow around 9 PM. We've got a bit of research to do first. Leave the key in the same place as you used to. And Luke? Thanks again."


	3. Chapter 3

"Mom!" Rory called excitedly, running and opening the door to her home. The familiar smell of fresh, strong coffee hit her nose instantly, causing her to laugh involuntarily. It was nine in the morning, meaning the second pot of the day had just been turned on. "Mom, we're here!" She dropped her bags in the foyer, holding the door ajar for her blonde cousin who was following closely behind.

"Why, are those some California girls that Mike and Brian have been wishing for that I hear in my front door? Surely not. Their greetings would be filled of loud "Dudes," and "like, slightly more vapid," a loud voice came around the corner from the kitchen. Rory collided into her mother, hugging her tightly as both of them giggled.

Veronica Mars stood behind both of them, taking in how much the two women looked alike with their long brown hair, blue eyes and slim builds. "Well, like, we try Lorelai, but like, that prep school nonsense is like super hard to break," she said in a fake, whiney, teenage voice, drawing out the "u" in super, laughing at the end. "But don't worry. We California girls always prevail!"

"Get over here and let me look at you," Lorelai said standing tall, reaching for Veronica's hands. Rory stood to her side, pulling their bags further into the house. Lorelai pulled Veronica's right arm slightly, causing her to turn, then pushed it back and pulled her left arm forward. "Why yes, you have that wonderful summer glow in the middle of December, gorgeous blonde California hair, a slight sent of suntan lotion, but definitely seeing the Bishop blood in you, especially in your eyes. And that is a very good thing my dear child," she said, pulling the girl into a hug. "It has been far too long since I've seen you! Now, I know I look exactly the same as I did then, just with a slightly better wardrobe and much smoother hair - product." Lorelai played with her hair, tossing it and pushing it behind her ears. "Product is a girl's best friend. They say it's diamonds, and one can make an argument for dogs, but really, it's a good frizz control serum.

But you, Veronica! I mean, you've grown a few inches," Veronica let out a loud "ha" at that, "okay well maybe one or two. But you look fantastic! You're father must be proud. Or terrified. Oh god child, how did you grow up with a cop for a father? By dating bad boys only of course, I hope" Lorelai gave her a wink before she mocked hugged Veronica again. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe. Well, for the week at least."

Rory laughed and pulled her mom off of Veronica. Her mother had a tendency to keep going if one was to let her, and Rory felt a big bit coming on. Still, she knew her cousin was quick-tongue and quicker-witted than most, and Veronica would have no problem keeping up with the Gilmore girls. It must have been a gene on her grandmother's side. Keith Mars, Veronica's single father and one of her new personal heroes, was Lorelai Gilmore's cousin, the son of Hope Mars, Emily's younger sister. Veronica and Rory hadn't seen much of each other growing up, as they had lived on separate sides of the country. Rory had a vague memory of an early Christmas celebration at her grandparent's house where Hope's side of the family had also joined them.

Then during all the negative publicity of the Lily Kane murder, Emily had all but forbidden Lorelai and Rory to talk to Keith; even Keith's mom severed all ties with him. Lorelai regretted doing so, but she had mostly listened to Emily on the subject. She had enough problems of her own during that time of life, raising a child on her own. Not that Keith would have taken her help, but when she found out in hindsight that Lianne had left them high and dry, twice, she had hated not offering the help. Still, when Rory and Veronica had reunited during their internships the summer before, she was happy to have Keith and Veronica back in her life.

Thus when Rory decided to attend graduate school at Berkley, it had been an easy decision to move in with Veronica and one of her high school best friends, Mac. They both went to college at Stanford, so the three of them had a place in Union City, a comfortable distance from both schools. Now they could all make up for some lost time, in between class stresses and jobs to pay the rent.

"Let me give you both a quick tour. Now, now," she held up a hand to Rory and then reached over and grabbed her bags, "you are going to say 'A tour? Why I grew up here, my wonderful, beautiful, amazing mother!' But you there have been significant changes since you were last here. There is a man, "she whispered at the word," that lives here, when he's not making the town's grub, and Paul Anka is pouting upstairs as I have put a chair against the door blocking my shoes from him. I've had to get a heavy chair, as he's figure out how to knock a few over. And I will let him have a go at my wedding shoes once I've actually used them. Now you guys are staying in Rory's room, which, heh, I have proudly reorganized and—"

"WHAT?!" Rory screeched, pushing ahead into her childhood bedroom, afraid of what she would see.

"Yes, I moved the lamp that once sat on this side of the desk to the OTHER SIDE of the desk. Completely brightened the room up! It's like a completely new room. I even dusted in here and swept. Plus I pulled out the trundle bed for you both. Now I know roommates doesn't actually mean you guys share a room, but here you'll have to make due. Or you can flip for the couch, but that means that one of you will be bunking with April, so pick wisely. Or be caught up on your knowledge of chemistry, because I think that's the science of the year.

Now, out here's the kitchen which actually has food in it, again, perks of having Luke around, so feel free to grab a snack whenever. There's always a pot of coffee around, which is so strong you'll wonder if we actually added water, Veronica. And take a good whiff because Luke still tries to make it decaf on occasion, bless him." She continued walking, and then added, " Bathroom, Living room, upstairs is my room and the good shower and bathroom. Any questions for Tour Guide Barbie?"

Rory suddenly hugged her mom again. "I've missed you so much," she said, her voice full of emotion. "And I'm so glad that this is finally happening. How is Luke doing? He's not getting cold feet is he? And Jess is coming in too? I can't wait to meet his girlfriend; she sounds wonderful. Are we doing dinner with them tonight?"

"Uh no, Rory. Have you forgotten what day it is?" Lorelai smiled brightly at both of them. "Why, it is Friday. And that means…"

"Friday night dinner? But you said you stopped doing Friday nights awhile ago. Or at least, you weren't doing dinners on Friday always, but still doing weekly dinners."

"What are these Friday night dinners even about?" Veronica interjected.

"Oh, sorry V. We agreed to Friday night dinners in my sophomore year of high school in exchange for my grandparents paying for Chilton. Our relationship was terrible before that. It didn't necessarily get better immediately, but it did overtime. They continued when they helped pay for Yale, and mom continued eating with them even after I left on my first press tour. But then-"

"But then I had to work some Fridays when Sookie went on maternity leave, and Michelle started taking a Zumba class on Fridays. So Fridays turned into Sundays for awhile. Then your grandmother found out YOU were coming in on a Friday because SOMEONE thought it was a good idea to give her their flight information and she thought it would just be marvelous to do dinner tonight, just like old times." She clasped her hands together in an Emily fashion.

"I was hoping to see my dad tonight though; I thought we were doing dinner with him?" Veronica asked.

"He's actually been invited as well. He's flying into Hartford tonight, and heading straight over. Emily Gilmore has insisted." Veronica looked hesitantly at Lorelai. "Come on, fancy food, good alcohol. It'll be a wonderfully awkward time. Not unlike having dinner with Hannibal, or the last meal at Sing, Sing, or when you visit your own grandmother because I'll be there to take the brunt of the annoyance. That's what I get for agreeing to let Mom help me plan the wedding though. And again, your grandmother Beverly R. Sutphin knows your flight number, so there's no getting out of this. So to answer your question, no dinner with Luke and Jess tonight. But they'll all be here for our pre-rehearsal dinner tomorrow night."

"Luke got out of this dinner? So not fair," Rory sighed.

"Now come on, Rory. You love your grandparents. I didn't think you'd be protesting this much." Lorelai looked at Rory, confused. "And Keith will be there."

"No I do. And I am excited to see them both. But we just had a seven hour flight across the country, and the thought of wearing anything but sweats sounds exhausting." Veronica nodded in agreement. "But you'll love my grandfather, V. He's a good man. And it'll be good to get the Emily Gilmore dinner out of the way. It was bound to happen this week. And the alcohol is a total plus."

"Hey, I'm down for anything. I've done awkward fancy dinners. So my grandmother won't be there?" Veronica looked at Lorelai. She shook her head.

"Aunt Hope will be in Sunday for the wedding." She gave Veronica a tight side hug. They all knew the relationship with Keith and his mom was icy— it made Lorelai and Emily look like they had always been the best of friends. "Okay, you both have had a long red eye flight, and I'm assuming not much sleep. Why don't you guys get settled in, take a nap or something? I'm going to head back to the inn and Sookie is cooking lunch for you both around one so don't eat anything right now because you know she's got twelve courses going. And she's going to try to have Jackson bring the kids up if you want, or you can wait to see them tomorrow. Davey's going to be our ring barer, and he's just a regular Liam Aiken in his suit. Or am I thinking Haley Joel Osment? Veronica, any food you don't eat?"

"I've never been a fussy eater, Lorelai. I'm game to try anything. I like the idea of a nap though? It's incredibly early to this tiny body of mine," she put her hands in her jeans pockets. "I will trundle down with the best of them."

"Go nap," Rory said, nudging her cousin. "I'll handle the bags. I want to double check my work emails, then pull out my bridesmaid's dress so it doesn't get too wrinkled, and then give Lane a call. Their Hep Alien tour stops in New York City next Friday. Did the tickets come in the mail?"

"Yup. The envelope is on the fridge," Lorelai pointed.

"You are not checking work emails. You checked when we got off the plane, and again in the car. They're not going to bother you on vacation! Okay, I am down for the count. Wake me up with enough time to shower? Or if my dad calls. Of if anyone else comes by that I need to meet." Rory nodded. Veronica hugged Lorelai again. "Thank you for letting me stay at your place. It really is great to see you again."

"Aw shucks, kid. You're always welcome here. Now go nap, and think hungry thoughts. Sookie's going to find you too thin." Veronica laughed as it turned into a yawn. She left the kitchen and headed into Rory's room, shutting the door. Lorelai turned to her daughter, gesturing at the coffee pot, asking if she wanted a cup. Rory nodded, sliding into the chair at the kitchen table. Lorelai poured both of them a cup and pulled out some poptarts as well, putting them on a plate. "So tell me about this job. You met the editor while on Obama's tour, right?"

"Yes. She read some of my work after one of his conventions, and we met up a few times after that. She offered me a part time job, and asked me if I had considered doing any teaching, as you know. Mom, it's completely different from what I thought it would be. I actually enjoy it. I get to be a teaching assistant for a Russian literature professor next semester, plus take on more writing assignments. I signed the paper work on both yesterday before we left for the airport yesterday. It's an amazing career move. And California is so different. I mean, I miss the cold and snow and you and this town, of course, but I get paid to write and be so close to a beach. I'm guessing this will stop feeling so amazing at some point, but it won't happen anytime soon."

"Aw, hun, of course you are a fantastic teacher assistant. And your grandfather, dad and I all have subscriptions to the Chronicle, as does the Inn, so stop wasting postage on us, kid." She took a sip of her coffee, not meeting Rory's eye for a minute. "So, you really never contacted Logan?"

Rory sighed, looking at her coffee cup. She took a bite of her poptart, playing with the crust. "I looked him up on Facebook. He's not in California. I had hoped…" she stopped, looking at her mom. "Colin posted pictures of them in Brazil. I had hoped I wasn't truly his tie to a sane world. I thought he had grown up and really matured. I mean, he has a job and everything, but it's not what he should be doing."

"You're not….still…pining after him, are you?" Lorelai cautiously asked.

"No, mom. But he was a good part of my life, you know, the Riley Finn to my Buffy, and I worry about him. But I'm also not obsessively worrying about him." Lorelai gave her a look. "Okay, I'm not obsessively worrying anymore," she admitted.

Lorelai patted her hand. "Happier subject then. How's Mac doing?" Lorelai had come to visit Rory once the three of them had all moved in. She had adored everything about their tiny apartment and both of Rory's roommates. The three of them had been a great fit, a combination of intelligence and sass that Lorelai had loved being a part of. She had found Mac to be hilarious, taking an instant liking to her.

"Mac's great. She sends her love and well wishes. She and Wallace are spending part of the break in Neptune, visiting their families, then heading up the coast for a romantic holiday getaway. They're so adorable it is almost sickening. But in a good way, kind of like you and Luke are."

"I can't believe you guys didn't know. I so had them pegged when I visited," Lorelai cackled and pointed.

"Yes, yes. You had them figured out." She waved her mom's hand away and finished her coffee. Mac and Wallace had hid their relationship from Veronica for months after both she and Mac had started at Stanford. She had found out shortly after midterms, when she came home to find Wallace setting up a romantic celebratory dinner for Mac. They had thought Veronica was picking up a second photography shift that night, though she had put it off after her last midterm in order to sleep. Rory had missed the excitement, but apparently both of their shocked faces had been something worth seeing. It was Wallace's favorite joke, besting the resident Detective Mars, especially since Keith had figured it out long before. Veronica blamed it on a heavy workload filled semester.

After the embarrassing dinner, Wallace and Mac had explained to Veronica that they had hid the relationship from her while they were waiting to see if they were really serious about each other. They didn't want to force Veronica to choose between the two if they didn't workout in the end. The two had started dating the summer before, and six months later, they were still going strong. Rory thought they were great together. She knew Veronica had been weirded out at first, but she had grown to accept it.

"All right, favorite daughter of mine, I have to get back to the Inn. You know what happens to Michel is when he's left alone too long. It's like that _Cloverfield_ movie, including the part where I get motion sickness from looking at him." Lorelai stood up and kissed Rory on the top of her head, grabbing her purse. "Please don't spend the entire time we're not doing wedding stuff working. You are actually on vacation. Oh, and take Paul Anka out for me in a few, will ya?"

"I won't," Rory promised regarding work, as she pulled out her phone to check her emails. "I got to call Dad as well. I'll do it while walking Paul Anka. We'll see you for lunch."


End file.
